The Peace Offering

This offering is translated variously as a peace, prosperity, or voluntary offering of thanks. All definitions are acceptable, for, in a certain sense, they epitomize the generally used term of “peace.” Where there is peace, there is also prosperity and a general attitude of thankfulness. The purpose of this offering is to bring us into peace and unity with God and man. Only the Lord Jesus could accomplish this. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, as declared in Isaiah 53:5: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” In order for there to be peace, someone has to pay a price.
Jesus is our peace and He fulfilled the peace offering by His death on the cross, as depicted in Ephesians 2:14-18: “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

3:1 - “And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he
shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.” Now we
see those requirements of the peace offering that Jesus Christ fulfilled upon the cross to bring us into unity with God and the Church.The prime requirement was that the offering could not have any blemishes. Whatever we offer to God must be without blemish. This is His standard for His Church, as seen in Ephesians 5:27: “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Of course, we know that Christ was our peace offering without blemish. 1 Peter 1:19 says, “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

The peace offering is described, including the inwards. God wants to search every corner of our heart and cleanse us of hidden sins and bondages. David exposed his whole heart to the Lord, praying in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

The peace offering was to be an animal without blemish taken from the herd. There was to be no fault in it. Obviously, this was necessary since a holy God cannot be satisfied with that which is less than perfect. Jesus was taken from the congregation of Israel to die for them and for the Gentile church. The ceremonial act of laying the hand upon the head identified the offerer with the animal. The animal was a substitute for the one who deserved death because of his sinful deeds. We must identify with the Lord Jesus Christ who died in our place. We should have died on the cross, but He “who knew no sin” took our sins and died in our place. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:3, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.”

We read in Galatians 1:4, “Who gave himself for our sins,
that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.” This is also made clear in 1 Peter 2:24: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

The fat, which speaks of strength, was taken off the backbone of the animal sacrifice. This represents “strength of burden” or “burden-bearing.” Paul speaks of keeping the peace in Ephesians 4:3, “Endeavouring
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

The word translated “endeavour” means that with all our
strength, we must try to keep the peace. The fat was then burnt upon the altar as a sweet savor unto the Lord (Lev. 3:5). The reason for this is that the strength is in the fat, which has been totally expended in the service of the Lord. Thus it is precious in the sight of God. The Lord said in Isaiah 49:4, “Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.” The Lord used all of His strength doing the will of
His Father, and as such, His life was a sweet savor to Him.

We want to be those who spend all of our strength and energy in the work of the Gospel, like Paul, who said in 1
Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

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